Medicinal Plant Images

Aloe arborscens Mill. Aloe is a genus of approximately 400 succulent plants, many of which are native to Africa. Plants of the genus Aloe have one of the longest recorded history of medicinal usage and are amongst the most widely used plants for traditional medicinal purposes worldwide. The Aloes have been used since ancient times, particularly for the treatment of microbial infections, gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory conditions.6 Aloe vera, Aloe ferox, Aloe arborescens and Aloe perryi are the best known and most widely used, although many other species are also used for their therapeutic properties. Despite their widespread usage, studies from different laboratories often report wide variations in the therapeutic bioactivities from Aloe spp., with some studiers reporting potent antibacterial activity,7,8 yet other studies reporting a complete lack of activity.9 Leaves from individual plants within the same species may have widely varying levels of the bioactive phytochemicals and thus wide variances in bioactivity